Various mechanisms for supporting and clamping sheet materials to be processed by a tool or otherwise are known in the art. Vises and supports such as X-Y tables and work benches as well machine tools and robotic tools and parts thereof are often employed to hold sheet materials of different shapes and sizes to be processed by a tool or otherwise. There have been difficulties with sufficiently securing sheet materials to a tool or portion of a tool or to a support resulting in movement of the work sheet and imprecise processing.
Additionally, sheet materials can be deformed where vises and the like are used to constrain the work material. Kurt Manufacturing provides a vise with interchangeable jaws that can be replaced when damaged. The jaws of the vise apply significant force to the material being held as the axis being constrained by the vise is a function of the friction between the vise jaws and the sheet material. When the sheet material is thin in cross-section or flexible it can be deformed significantly resulting in imprecise processing. Even thicker and/or more rigid sheet materials may buckle or deform somewhat when constrained by vise jaws resulting in vibration and poor tolerance control at the center of the sheet material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to secure and/or to provide an apparatus to secure sheet material for use in machining or processing.
It is a further object of the invention to prevent and/or to provide an apparatus capable of preventing deformation to secured sheet material for machining or processing.
It is an additional object to provide a clamping apparatus for securing and holding down sheet material for machining or processing.